OBJECTIVETo observe the toxicity of Pulsatilla chinensis (Bunge) Regel saponins (PRS) against Oncomelania hupensis (O. hupensis).

METHODSO. hupensis snails were exposed to 40% and 80% of 24 h LC50 of PRS for 24 h, and then choline esterase (CHE), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities in cephalopodium and liver of snails were determined. Niclosamide (NIC) was used as the reference molluscicide. Zebra fish lethality test was evaluated to non-target aquatic species of PRS.

RESULTSThe molluscicidal activity of PRS (LC50 at 24 h: 0.48 mg/L) was similar to that of NIC (LC50 at 24 h: 0.16 mg/L). Significant alterations about CHE, ALP, and ALT activities both in the cephalopodium and the liver of snails were observed when O. hupensis was exposed to 40% and 80% LC50 of PRS or NIC for 24 h. PRS and NIC could not affect LDH activity in the cephalopodium and the liver. Lower toxicity to fish of PRS was observed up to the highest concentration tested than NIC.

CONCLUSIONPRS, as compared with the reference molluscicide NIC, is thought to be used for the control of harmful vector snails safely.

Animals ; Molluscacides ; pharmacology ; Pulsatilla ; chemistry ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; Snails ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo obtain 20(S)-ginsenoside Rh1 by the method of enzymolysis with the protopananxtriol saponins, and to provide the theory for large-scale preparation of 20(S)-ginsenoside Rh1.

METHODAB-8 macroporous resin was used to isolate the total saponins of the stems and leaves from Panax ginseng and the protopanaxtriol saponins (mainly included Rg1 and Re) were obtained. Then, we used enzymic hydrolysis (helicase) with the protopanaxtriol saponins to get the secondary ginsenoside 20(S)-Rh1. High performance liquid chromatography analysis method was established to determine the conversion with the YMC C18 column at the 25 degrees C. The flow rate was 1 mL x min(-1) and detective wavelength was 203 nm. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile(A)-water(B) was eluted by the way of 0-29 min,19%-26% A, 29-30 min, 26%-30% A, 30-55 min, 30%-38% A, 55-60 min, 38%-40% A.

RESULTHighly purified protopanaxtriol saponins were obtained through AB-8 macroporous resin. The average conversion was 36.7%. The method was simple and stable.

CONCLUSIONThe method is able to obtain secondary ginsenoside 20 (S)-Rh1 with high efficiency. This study develop the preparation resource for the ginsenoside 20(S)-Rh1.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; chemistry ; Enzymes ; chemistry ; Ginsenosides ; analysis ; Hydrolysis ; Panax ; chemistry ; Saponins ; chemistry ; Snails ; enzymology

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the molluscicidal activities of methanol extract of Jatropha curcas leaves against Ampullaria gigas.

METHODSYoung snails, adult snails and eggs of Ampullaria gigas were treated with the methanol extract of J. curcas leaves at different doses for different time lengths and the molluscicidal effects of the extract were evaluated.

RESULTSThe methanol extract showed a significant molluscicidal effect on the young snails at a low concentration, and treatment with 75 mg/L extract for more than 3 days resulted in a 100% mortality rate of the young snails. The Jatropha leaf methanol extract also showed toxicity to adult snails and eggs.

CONCLUSIONJatropha leaves have a great potential for developing green pesticides to control Ampullaria gigas, but its biochemical mechanism needs further research.

Animals ; Jatropha ; chemistry ; Methanol ; chemistry ; Molluscacides ; pharmacology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Snails ; classification ; drug effects

Through a combination of twice DEAE chromatography by NaCl stepwise and gradient elution with gel filtration chromatography, a kind of ginsenoside-Rb1 hydrolase from crude Helix snailase was separated. The hydrolase was purified to apparent homogeneity on SDS-PAGE. It was estimated that the purified hydrolase was consisted of four identical subunits with a molecular mass of 110-115 kD by SDS-PAGE and gel filtration chromatography. The Km and Vmax values for ginsenoside-Rb1 were calculated to be 0.790 mmol/L and 10.192 micromol/(min x mg) of protein respectively. The ginsenoside-Rb1 hydrolase could only hydrolyze the glycosidic bond at the C20 position of ginsenoside-Rb1 into ginsenoside-Rd.
Animals ; Catalysis ; Ginsenosides ; metabolism ; Helix (Snails) ; enzymology ; Hydrolases ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo research molluscicidal effect activity, active components and stable passage of endophyte JJ18 from Pseudolarix amabilis and examine the possibility for practical application.

METHODMolluscicidal effect test was performed according to the immersion test method suggested by WHO.

RESULTImmersion test with JJ18 broth showed that the active components were extracellular moiety of the broth and that 10% concentration solution could kill nearly 90% snail immersed after 72 h, the salified broth has favourable thermostabily and photostability and showed that JJ18 has stable passage and its active components concentrate in the extract of n-butanol.

CONCLUSIONThe metabolite of endophyte JJ18 has activity for molluscicidal effect and potential for application.

Animals ; Bacteria ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Bacterial Proteins ; pharmacology ; Molluscacides ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Pinaceae ; microbiology ; Polysaccharides, Bacterial ; pharmacology ; Snails ; drug effects

This study aims to observe different factors which affected the bionic enzymatic hydrolysis of icariin into baohuoside I and to optimize the reaction conditions in order to provide research foundation for building a novel bionic enzymolysis drug delivery system. To simulate the environment in vivo, 37 degrees C was set as the temperature and artificial intestinal juice and gastric juice were selected as the buffer solutions. Taking the conversion of baohuoside I as index, the effects of the kinds of enzyme, enzyme activity, substrate concentration, reaction time, pancreatin in artificial intestinal juice and surfactant on the conversion of baohuoside I were investigated. The results showed that cellulase, beta-glucosidase and snailase were all inactive in artificial gastric juice and no baohuoside I generated. Pancreatin in artificial intestinal juice couldn't significantly influence the activity of beta-glucosidase or snailase (P > 0.05), but noticeably decrease the activity of cellulase (P < 0.05). In artificial intestinal juice, the conversion of baohuoside I was highest by using beta-glucosidase, and the optimum reaction conditions were determined as follows: enzyme activity 10 U x mL(-1), substrate concentration 1 mg x mL(-1), 3 g x L(-1) rhamnolipid and reaction time 3 h. Under this condition, the conversion of baohuoside I was 99.8%.
Animals ; Cellulase ; chemistry ; Flavonoids ; biosynthesis ; metabolism ; Hydrolases ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Hydrolysis ; Pancreatin ; chemistry ; Snails ; enzymology ; Surface-Active Agents ; chemistry ; beta-Glucosidase ; chemistry

This article reports that nano-silica solid dispersion technology was used to raise genistein efficiency through increasing the enzymatic hydrolysis rate. Firstly, genistin-nano-silica solid dispersion was prepared by solvent method. And differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to verify the formation of solid dispersion, then enzymatic hydrolysis of solid dispersion was done by snailase to get genistein. With the conversion of genistein as criteria, single factor experiments were used to study the different factors affecting enzymatic hydrolysis of genistin and its solid dispersion. And then, response surface method was used to optimize of nano-silica solid dispersion technology assistant enzymatic hydrolysis. The optimum condition to get genistein through enzymatic hydrolysis of genistin-nano-silica solid dispersion was pH 7.1, temperature 52.2 degrees C, enzyme concentration 5.0 mg x mL(-1) and reaction time 7 h. Under this condition, the conversion of genistein was (93.47 +/- 2.40)%. Comparing with that without forming the genistin-nano-silica solid dispersion, the conversion increased 2.62 fold. At the same time, the product of hydrolysis was purified to get pure genistein. The method of enzymatic hydrolysis of genistin-nano-silica solid dispersion by snailase to obtain genistein is simple, efficiency and suitable for the modern scale production.
Animals ; Calorimetry, Differential Scanning ; Genistein ; chemistry ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hydrolysis ; Isoflavones ; chemistry ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Nanoparticles ; Phytoestrogens ; chemistry ; Silicon Dioxide ; chemistry ; Snails ; enzymology ; Solubility ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the molluscicidal activities of three Chinese plants N. indicum Mill, R stenoptera DC, and R. japonicum Houtt, and to clarify the molluscicidal mechanism.

METHODSN-butanol extracts and water extracts of the three plants were obtained. The reactions of EST isozyme, glycogen and total protein of snails to the plant extracts were studied.

RESULTSEST electrophoresis showed that EST was an important antidotal enzyme system and reacted strongly to environment. EST changed greatly during the whole exposure period so that it could be viewed as a pathological index of toxicity. Extracts decreased the glycogen content of the snails' soft tissues greatly, and also the protein content.

CONCLUSIONAll extracts show strong molluscicidal activity. The LD50 value of the water extract of N. indicum Mill is as low as 13.2 mg/L. EST can be viewed as a pathological index of toxicity. The energy metabolism abnormity is the key reason for the molluscicidal activities. The biochemical mechanism needs further research.

Animals ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Esterases ; metabolism ; Glycogen ; metabolism ; Isoenzymes ; metabolism ; Juglandaceae ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Molluscacides ; toxicity ; Nerium ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Rumex ; chemistry ; toxicity ; Snails ; drug effects

A 70-yr-old woman visited our hospital for shortness of breath. Chest CT showed ground glass opacity and traction bronchiectasis at right middle, lower lobe and left lingular division. Video-assisted thoracic surgical biopsy at right lower lobe and pathologic examination revealed mixed dust pneumoconiosis. Polarized optical microscopy showed lung lesions were consisted of silica and carbon materials. She was a housewife and never been exposed to silica dusts occupationally. She has taken freshwater snails as a health-promoting food for 40 yr and ground shell powder was piled up on her backyard where she spent day-time. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of snail shell and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy of lung lesion revealed that silica occupies important portion. Herein, we report the first known case of silicosis due to chronic inhalation of shell powder of freshwater snail.
Aged ; Animals ; Carbon/chemistry ; *Dust ; Female ; Humans ; *Inhalation ; Silicon Dioxide/chemistry ; Silicosis/*diagnosis/radiography ; Snails/*chemistry ; Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Fasciola hepatica is a trematode that causes zoonosis mainly in cattle and sheep and occasionally in humans. Fascioliasis has been reported in Korea; however, determining F. hepatica infection in snails has not been done recently. Thus, using PCR, we evaluated the prevalence of F. hepatica infection in snails at 4 large water-dropwort fields. Among 349 examined snails, F. hepatica-specific internal transcribed space 1 (ITS-1) and/or ITS-2 markers were detected in 12 snails and confirmed using sequence analysis. Morphologically, 213 of 349 collected snails were dextral shelled, which is the same aperture as the lymnaeid snail, the vectorial host for F. hepatica. Among the 12 F. hepatica-infected snails, 6 were known first intermediate hosts in Korea (Lymnaea viridis and L. ollula) and the remaining 6 (Lymnaea sp.) were potentially a new first intermediate host in Korea. It has been shown that the overall prevalence of the snails contaminated with F. hepatica in water-dropwort fields was 3.4%; however, the prevalence varied among the fields. This is the first study to estimate the prevalence of F. hepatica infection using the vectorial capacity of the snails in Korea.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; DNA, Helminth/chemistry/genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/chemistry/genetics ; Fasciola hepatica/anatomy & histology/genetics/*isolation & purification ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Oenanthe/growth & development ; *Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Republic of Korea ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Snails/growth & development/*parasitology